Potty Training!

We're going to do it. We're going to tackle the big one: potty training our first child! I've been thinking that Bubba is ready to start using the "potty" for a while now but have put it off. We've had a lot going on the past few months with listing and selling the house and moving into the rental. I didn't want to loose all our work with the move to a new place so decided to wait until we were settled in her a bit. Now, I want to get started ASAP before the holiday rush gets here!

I'm VERY nervous about this. I've heard so many bad stories about potty training and how hard it is, how much work, what a mess it is... especially with boys! Yikes!

So, what's the plan? A friend of mine recommended a process that they used with four of their kids and she said it worked with every one of them - two boys and two girls. She said that it took an intense two days of training but that, after those two days, they hardly had any accidents! I'm liking the sound of that so thought to use their plan first.

Here's what we're going to do:

1) I'm loading up on juice and Cheez-its (something salty) and Oreos (Bubba's favorite treat)

2) In the morning of the first day, we'll explain everything to Bubba, show him his new underwear (I got some fun ones that he'll be motivated to keep dry so he can keep wearing them), talk about the potty again (he's already pretty familiar with where it is and all), review the sign for potty and let him loose in his new underwear!

3) My friend said that there will be a lot of accidents the first day as the child gets used to the idea. Bubba is such a thinker and understands so much that I really think he's going to catch on pretty quickly.

4) We're going to dish out the salty stuff and juice liberally and set the timer for every 15 minutes throughout the day. When the timer goes off, Bubba sits on the toilet and tries to go. If he does, he gets some cookies!

5) 2 and a half hours before bedtime, no more drinks.

6) We'll take him potty at his bedtime and then take him potty again a few hours later when we go to bed.

That's the plan - I'll update on how it goes!